The Awesome Dahab

I went on a journey to a totally different culture armed with nothing but a guidebook and a thirst of adventure to Egypt for a month in 2010. And fell in love with one particular place, Dahab – located southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula. In a bid to escape the blistering July heat as well as the hustle and bustle of Cairo, I subjected myself to a grueling ten-hour bus ride, crossing the Suez and traversing through the seemingly lifeless and rocky desert.

However upon catching the sight of the Red Sea, my spirit was instantly lifted. The calming, inviting blue stood in contrast with the dry, arid landscape. Along the shoreline littered dozens of hippie-looking boarding houses and camps, albeit reminiscing the 70's days of beach-side Hawaii. A perfect place to just laze around, Dahab offers desert safaris, ATV biking, camel-riding...not to mention the abundance of cheap, tasty Egyptian cuisines like koshari, molokheyya as well as fresh fruit joints all around.

To fully experience Dahab, I opted for the cheap option, and managed to secure myself a descent beach boarding house at 30 L.E a night. Chancing upon a random group of students from Cairo, I joined them that night for an excursion to a Bedouin camp party in the middle of the desert. It was a night filled with delectable traditional Bedouin-barbequed food, Arabic music and much dancing around the bonfire. All that fun under the moonlight in the middle of nowhere.

A Dahab vacation would not be complete without a boat trip to the Red Sea. We stopped at four famous snorkeling spots along the shore. Gorgeous coral formations greeted us as we lazily let ourselves drift along, with waters so cooling that we spent most of our time in the water, resulting in sun-burnt backs later.

A journey down to Sharm el-Sheikh city an hour away rewarded one with a vibrant nightlife, with pubs and clubs to party one's heart out, or relaxing cafes to chill in. A couple of casinos were spotted should one yearn for some gambling, along with affluent accommodations.

For divers, both beginners and seasoned alike, Dahab is the perfect place to be with its myriads of diving spots. I spent one full day at the beach-side Blue Hole, an infamous spot with a 100-metre deep drop. Snorkeling is another main activity, the warm waters frequently circulated with the chilling currents from the deep, not to mention the breathtaking coral formations so close to the shore.

For those of the Abrahamic faith, a climb up Mt. Sinai is a pilgrimage worth the undertaking. Starting the climb early in the morning, the gritty, rocky terrain rewards one with an impressing view of the sunrise at the summit, illuminating the scenery all around with its golden hue. Upon descent, I visited the thousand-year old St. Catherine's Monastery, the oldest in the world. The archaic architecture, as well as the collection of mosaic works and liturgical objects never failed to awe-inspire. I even managed to have a friendly chat with a monk who spoke good English as he showed me the famous Burning Bush.

In short, Dahab is a gem for those seeking cheaper (and admittedly superior) seaside getaway. A place so amazing that one has to be there to fully comprehend its awesomeness.